Diego Lopes was looking to make a statement in the featherweight division. And while he didn’t get a finish, despite looking like he was close to one, he can consider UFC 306 mission accomplished.
Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) outworked former title challenger Brian Ortega (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) for a dominant unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards, including a 30-26, on the UFC 306 main card at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Lopes had Ortega hurt in the first round and poured it on. But with an opportunity to let Ortega back to his feet, the Brazilian chose to keep the fight on the canvas, in large part. That gave Ortega a chance to survive the first round once his leash got a little longer from referee Jason Herzog.
But though Ortega kept himself in the fight and stayed largely out of imminent danger for the final 10 minutes, it was all Lopes for his fifth straight win to climb into contention in the UFC’s 145-pound division.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 306 results include:
- Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:02
- Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:02
- Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aori Qileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
